THE OPEN SPACE

Yering Station Art Gallery | 13 December 2023 - 21 January 2024

The title of my most recent exhibition is, ‘The Open Space’ which for me has multiple meanings.

Firstly, ‘The Open Space’ describes the formless dimension that precedes all matter. The emptiness or void from which all possibilities are held. In Buddhism, emptiness is the ultimate nature of reality, empty of inherent, independent existence.

Physicists estimate that emptiness makes up 80 percent of the universe and that 99.9 percent of the human body is empty space.

Perhaps it is because space is essentially our true nature that the human soul has an unconscious yearning for wider horizons, nobler ambitions and to connect with a spiritual dimension that lies beyond the mere physical.

At this time in history It would appear that many are turning away from society’s incessant concern with the material to rediscover practices that offer the experience of increasing inner spaciousness and peace.

“The wind traverses the vast sky

Clouds emerge from the mountains

Feelings of enlightenment and things of the world are no concern at all .” - Keizan Jokin 1268~132

Mixed Media on Canvas

152cm x 152cm

Mankind’s essential relationship with inner space was highlighted for me after experiencing numerous Melbourne lockdowns. Whether relating to our yearning for more physical space, for a sense of mental space, a desire for more space to connect with our emotional world or the yearning to connect more deeply with our spacious spiritual essence, it would seem that after an enforced period of time out of our busy day-to-day lives, that an element of ‘open space’ was essential in restoring balance, not only in Melbourne, but globally.

"A running stream,

The cold mountain path

Deep in the clouds,

The old temple bell" - Zenrin-kushu

Mixed Media on Canvas

122cm x 152cm

Not only was this body of work created in the womb like ‘Open Space’ of my circular art studio, but the practice of ‘space consciousness’ (or connecting with the stillness, presence or essence beneath the fleeting nature of form) has been instrumental in creating this new body of work.

While these paintings arise from space consciousness, they also visually depict the dance between form and space, the manifested and un manifested.

“Blue green springwater

White moonlit mountain

Quiet wisdom of the spirit

Empty gaze beyond silence” - Han Shan

Mixed Media on Canvas

152cm x 152cm

Back at art school, I remember learning about the importance of space in an artwork - being taught that while viewing a painting, the eye is unconsciously scanning the picture plane for a place to rest. The space to contemplate, to absorb, and to reconnect with an experience of internal spaciousness.

It has been my intention to create an ‘Open Space’ within each painting in this series as an invitation to connect with the luminous presence within.

Perhaps you’ll also notice that the title of many of these paintings is a Haiku poem. This is intended to offer the viewer yet another window to pause, deepen and connect with the Open Space.

"Midnight on the lake

No wind. No waves.

The empty boat is flooded with moonlight" - Dogen 1200~1253

Mixed Media and Epoxy Resin on Board

120cm x 120cm

There is another layer to this choice of exhibition title however. ‘The Open Space’ is the name of a business that my beloved sister set up in 2009.

As many of you who know me personally are already aware, my darling sister lost a 10 year battle to cancer 18 months ago. This has certainly left an ‘Open Space’ in my heart and in my life, yet on another level, contemplating her physical absence somehow enables me to move into ‘space consciousness’ more easily. Such an enormous loss seems to crack open the formerly limited perception of my mortal existence to enable the light to enter. And it is here in this “Open Space” that I feel close to her.

This new body of work maps the journey of healing across 18 months from an intense experience of loss and separation, to reconnect with one’s true nature of infinite space, wholeness, beauty and love.

"Enwrapped in billows of white clouds

I do not see the white clouds Absorbed in the sounds of flowing water

I do not hear the flowing water"

Mixed Media and Epoxy Resin on Board

80cm x 150cm

"The Open Space"

Upcoming Exhibition

Musings

August 4, 2023

Ruminating today on the primal yearning to return to wholeness. That driving force to lift into our ‘best selves’ and to connect with an aspect of ourselves that lies beyond this time/space reality. This is an inner navigation that we as a human collective share, yet a path that we journey as individuals.

While heaving a roll of canvas from the studio storeroom today, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the floor. I opened what appeared to be a page torn from a notebook covered on both sides with my handwriting. The heading read, “Manifestation List November 2006”

Among other intentions, barely legible through dust and fade, the final point read, “To walk in confidence, empowerment and grace. To live in honour and sovereignty, to know and trust my connection to the universe and to live eternally in the now.”

Across 17 years, I still relate to this younger self. The calling to rise to connect with these values is still such a potent drive within. While this yearning hasn’t waned, I wish I could speak with this younger self and remind her that there is a short cut. Instead of gleaning wisdom from the highs and lows of lived experience, from external practices and maturation through time, all of these gifts were always here…. right here within.

I wonder though, would this younger self have heard this? I imagine not.

The deliciousness is found in the journey itself. The magical adventure through undulating terrain; stretching and growing through life’s Winters of adversity and pain, and basking in the earthly pleasures, creativity, love and beauty during the sunnier chapters of life.

As Basho wrote, “The journey itself is my home”

“Enwrapped in billows of white clouds

I do not see the white clouds

Absorbed in the sounds of flowing water,

I do not hear the flowing water” -  Zenrin-Kushu

Mixed Media on Birch

120cm x 150cm

July 18, 2023

The title of this work is a poem from ‘Zenrin Kushu’, meaning “Anthology of passages from the forests of Zen” and is a compilation of the writings from the Rinzai school of Zen, first published in 1688)

As is the intention with zen poetry, the words of this verse invite us, as the reader, to reconnect with something larger than ourselves.

To become so completely immersed in the vision and sound of an experience, that the senses merge and a spacious presence unfolds.

Black Range

Mixed Media on Birch

100cm x 100cm

June 1, 2023

A quick flight across this recently finished painting during this, National Reconciliation Week.

While deep in the process of creating this piece, I found myself returning to a precious memory of staying in a cave in the ‘Black Range’ on Jardwardjali country west of Gariwerd (the Grampians) many years ago.

I remember taking time to meditate at a nearby site featuring beautifully preserved Jardwardjali rock artwork with the intention of connecting to the site. I began by stilling the mind and opening to any impressions received but was quite taken aback with what presented. Almost instantly I was flooded with images of several first nations individuals working and talking together in what seemed like daily business and a number of children were laughing and playing nearby. The scene was full, buzzing and alive.

Whether this impression really had occurred in this area I’ll never know, but the memory of this special experience has stayed with me like a powerful dream that returns to visit over the years.

As Reconciliation week draws to a close, I’m reminded of the magic in the land. That the mountains, trees, rocks and rivers are vibrating with abundant life and the ancestral spirits are always living alongside us in the physical

“You must rise above the clouds covering the mountain top otherwise, how will you ever see the brightness?”

Ryokan 1758 - 1831

Mixed Media on Canvas

76cm x 152cm

May 25, 2023

While this beautiful poem can be deciphered in a number of ways, for me it acts as a gentle reminder to resist the clouds of fear and drama that can potentially obscure beauty. A reminder to return to what is important, where to spend my time and what to focus on.

This awareness is incredibly important in both my day to day life as well as my artistic practice.

Having always been super sensitive, I’m acutely aware of the impact an exposure to fear and negativity has on my mental, emotional and physical state. I have therefore consciously chosen to disengage with mainstream news, media, politics and causes aimed to separate, control, confuse or disempower.

Sure there is a whole lot of ‘ugly’ pulling for our attention in modern life and mainstream news and there’s no denying that these things are indeed true, but if we’re experiencing anxiety, fatigue and hopelessness, that’s the last thing that will help!

We now know that what we focus on grows and the ‘Law of Attraction’ is so widely embraced that it’s almost become a household concept.

Apparently In the 1990’s, only 2% of adults believed in the Law of attraction, but today that percentage has grown to 73% of the world’s population. To take it a step further, it’s now also widely accepted that our thoughts today are creating our tomorrow. That we are powerful creators, co-creating our future in accordance to what we’re a vibrational match to.

I think that many of us forget that we have a choice in being able to steer our lives in a more positive direction by consciously choosing more positive thoughts.

This beautiful poem is a reminder that we do have a choice. We can remain focussed on the clouds, or if we choose a higher perspective, viewing life and reality from above the clouds we’ll be able to again reconnect with the brightness, the beauty, the magic and the wholeness that is our true essence.

“Stillness - Clouds peak in the lake” - Kobayashi Issa - 1763 - 1828

May 7, 2023

This, my most recently completed piece introduces a new horizontal element. The inclusion of horizon line, defining what could be a lake, tends to offer a calming effect and sense of stillness.

Revisiting theoretical concepts from back at art school, horizonal lines in artwork suggest a feeling of rest or repose because objects parallel to the earth are at rest. In a landscape, horizontal lines also help give a sense of space.

From the First Nations practice of Dadirri (mindfulness) to shinrin-yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing, we can learn so much from ancient practices to keep ourselves balanced in modern life.

One of the latest mindfulness techniques to go under the scientific microscope is ‘Horizon Gazing’ … and yes - it’s a thing!

Our ancestors would have gazed at the horizon and widened their peripheral vision as much as possible in order to scan the landscape for threats. This act produces a calming effect, safe in the knowledge that no immediate action needs to be taken.

Dr Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford has been studying the impact of vision and breathing on stress and the body for over 20 years. His research has revealed that when we look at something stressful (or exciting) our field of vision narrows so that one thing is in laser sharp focus and the rest is blurrier. Our eyeballs actually rotate slightly inwards towards our nose. In contrast by expanding our visual field the body is able to switch off the stress response.

"If you were to ask me why I dwell among green mountains,

I should laugh silently.

My soul is serene,

The peach blossom flowers,

The morning water,

There is another

Heaven and earth

Beyond the world of men."

- Li Po 701 - 762

Mixed Media on Canvas

152cm x 152cm

May 3, 2023

One repeating theme I’ve noticed as an Art Therapist is the deep yearning to escape the stress and ‘hustle-bustle’ associated with the so called ‘rat-race’ that is used to define today’s society.

When invited to represent their ‘dream life’, I’ve observed that individuals often draw themselves living in simplicity in a natural setting - perhaps watching the sunset over the sea, fishing by a stream or warming themselves by a campfire.

With the intention of restoring balance there’s an undeniable call to blend with nature, to simplify, to unplug and to become one with the whole. As this poem so beautifully describes, the desire to seek the stillness and peace of mind found “beyond the world of men”.

It is my intention to visually replicate the lure to reconnect with one’s true essence in my paintings. A yearning to return to a sense of wholeness and to connect with something larger than our individual lives and the realm of form we so often identify with.

INTERVIEW

Masterful Brands Agency is delighted to share an interview with Melbourne Artist Nerina Lascelles. Discover why Nerina creates and the advice she would give to any emerging female artist (it’s a goodie!). Thank you, Nerina, for your generosity of spirit in this interview and for creating light-filled moments in our lives using your art!

Why do you create?

In my early years, it became evident that while some individuals are naturally drawn to performance, music or writing, my mode of artistic expression was visual art. I have always felt as though drawing and painting are my voice or my form of communication, and studying the role of art in history seemed to confirm a lifelong calling to use this ’voice’ to inspire and to uplift the viewer. I also have a long-held ideal that the paintings I create are not for myself but more gifts for humanity. Even after all these years, I have never kept any of the paintings I've completed.

For me, the aim of creating art is to offer a window through which individuals have an opportunity to experience a deeper connection with themselves, each other and the planet, as well as the spiritual realm beyond physical form. While the paintings I create are objects that have arisen from the invisible, it is my deepest desire that these paintings offer the viewer a doorway to their own invisible realm within.

Who are you?

According to my parents I have been drawing and painting since the day I was able to hold a crayon. I was told that I had the ‘gift’ that was passed on from my father's father, who was also an artist.  As a child I would often draw all day, dreaming of becoming an artist. In early primary school, when asked to dress up as - ‘What do you want to be when you grow up’ (day), I proudly adorned myself in an art smock and beret, holding some brushes and a wooden palette that belonged to my Poppa.

Ever since I was young, I’ve held an interest in the spiritual life of humanity rather than the mundane world of things.  As a child I would often contemplate the idea of existence, the source of all life and of imagined worlds beyond ours. I was fascinated with philosophy, wisdom and spiritual traditions across the globe and blessed to have a mother who studied yoga, meditation, spirituality, and healing practises and would regularly lead us through guided meditations as children.

It’s fascinating how one’s dreams and values are so clear at such a young age and perhaps unusual that I have always known that to create art was my life's primary vocation.

Thankfully my parents supported my desire to study art, and after completing an art focussed V.C.E year at R.M.I.T., I went on to complete both a B.A. and Grad. Diploma in Visual Arts at Ballarat University.

An important drive in my early work (post art school) was the study of a number of global cultures of the earth that may offer us in the West a glimpse of a different and perhaps more honourable and balanced way of being.  I spent much of my 20's and 30's travelling to and studying the arts, culture and spiritual traditions of several countries including Africa, South America, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Tibet and, more recently, Japan.  Upon returning to Australia after each journey, I sought to translate both my research and my inspiration through my paintings.

Upon leaving art school I made a pact to self to have at least one exhibition every year, and due to having a baby as well as ‘Covid lockdowns’, there's only been a couple of years that I haven't been able to uphold this commitment.

I've now been painting for over 30 years, exhibiting both locally and internationally, with my paintings forming part of collections in several countries across the globe.

The other calling I've held since I was young has been to help others, and with the intention to combine my two big callings, ‘art’ and ‘healing’ I enrolled in my first Art Therapy course around 30 years ago.

Now, having spent over 25 years practising as an Art Therapist, I have sat with over 20,000 individuals, encouraging them to make meaning of their life experiences through the medium of visual art. My artistic and Art Therapy practise complement each other perfectly.

Song of Creation, Mixed Media on Canvas, 122cm x 152cm

If you could give an emerging woman artist one piece of advice, what would it be?

"Get out of your own way."

This probably sounds a little odd initially but what I have noticed is that we as artists, tend to bring so much 'extra baggage' to the studio.  Due to a barrage of self-sabotaging thoughts, we often feel so much resistance before having even made our first brush stroke. Whether they be comparisons, expectations, self-criticism, or we're trying desperately to control every step of the process, we suffocate the natural creative flow.  While it's normal for most of society to experience these thoughts to varying degrees, my advice would be to create a ritual/process that enables us to leave all fear, judgement, resistance and overthinking at the door. A meditation to still the mind, drop into the heart and trust the creative process.

Many creatives (writers, musicians, painters etc) have concluded that inspired creations are not made by the individual alone, but rather a collaboration of energies from ‘somewhere else’. If our minds are full of chatter concerning the past or future etc, there's no open space for creative inspiration to pour in. To create work that is divinely inspired, we need to ‘get out of our own way’!

Where do you find beauty?

I love this question as for me, the age-old quote, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", deeply resonates. The concept of beauty is so different for everyone. In my understanding the definition of beauty is a subjective rather than an objective experience, a state of being ultimately internal rather than external. 

While I am most definitely inspired by the physical beauty of objects and scenic views in the natural world, for example - the morning light illuminating a tree trunk, a dew drop glistening on a gum leaf or mist settled in a valley, I also relate to the more Japanese ideal of beauty being an experience of the heart or soul. The Japanese word, "Yūgen" is defined as an 'awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious to be described'.  Yūgen also describes a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe. 

Whether sparked by looking at a natural scene, viewing a work of art, hearing music, peering into the depths of the night sky, or reading a Zen poem, this feeling of overwhelming beauty leaves me feeling connected to something much larger than the individual self that is me. 

Silently, quiet, everything, All visible things, become this nothingness - Shinkichi Takahashi

Mixed Media and Epoxy Resin on Board, 150cm x 120cm 

What is your Artist superpower?

I think this is the hardest question of all. I've never been all that comfortable noting my artistic strengths and really relate with the Cezanne quote, 

"I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I know nothing".

My artistic practice is always developing and the techniques, colour palettes and materials I use within the paintings are frequently changing. 

I suppose my superpower is that I am somewhat 'free' in my art practice. Upon leaving art school I recognised the pressure that some artists place on themselves when art is their only source of income.  Sure there's certainly something fabulous about being able to be a 'full-time' artist (a term that is somewhat revered in the art world) but if selling work means controlling ones output in order to appeal to others, the work becomes somewhat shallow and deadened. I've long believed that you can feel the 'vibe' of where the artist is coming from when reflecting on an artwork and that creations fuelled by control, fear, insecurity, lack or ego can be translated through and energetically sensed by the viewer.

Early in my art career I established that I was unable to create 'pure art' with the pressure of the dollar riding so heavily on each brush stroke, so I created another income stream as an Art Therapist. It is so freeing to know that while my mortgage still gets paid, I also have the liberty to be led by creative inspiration in my artistic practice.

What does artistic courage mean to you?

Another fabulous question! 

I suppose the most courageous thing an artist can engage in is to completely follow their creative inspiration without question or restrain. To create work without overthinking and controlling the process. 

This isn't always easy though, as mentioned previously, the analytical mind often butts in to make comment on the process. I suppose like any human endeavour, the objective is to release that which is unhelpful and practise the art of trust and awareness.

Sometimes when I'm in the 'flow' or in the 'zone', the critical mind is completely absent. It is here that I feel most connected to some aspect of inspired guidance. It's as though something from the invisible gently suggests the next colour or technique to apply to the painting. Sometimes, while completely swept up in this delicious creative flow, my brush will fly out of my hand ... it's then that I realise it's time to have a break!

Making 'mistakes' is also a large part of artistic courage; a mistake being something that has occurred that you were not in control of or desiring.  It's usual that a fresh painting goes through an uncomfortable or 'ugly' phase, and by working through this discomfort, a new direction opens up. In my art practice, I've always held the motto; "If I haven't made a mistake, I haven't gone somewhere new". To go somewhere new is artistic courage.

Flow like water, Reflect like a Mirror, Respond like an echo - Chang Tzu, Mixed Media on Canvas, 152cm x 152cm

A couple of client/critic quotes or testimonials

"Connecting with Nerina, Nerina's workspace and Nerina's art has brought inspiration and warmth to our family over the past decade. An ongoing touchstone for shared values."

Collector, Ian Garratt, Camberwell

“Nerina Lascelles is an artist of rare talent. Nerina reaches across culture to create unique works which bring poetry, spirit and landscape together in an epic expression of journey through boundaries of time and space. The interplay of light and shadow in Nerina’s ethereal paintings captures the eye and the imagination as it journeys towards promise and possibility. Each piece and each viewing yields more detail and greater nuance playfully creating yet another viewing experience. Nerina’s use of resin creates even greater richness and depth while adding a glass or window-like glazing through which the viewer gains even greater clarity and appreciation of the level of detail and skill in her work. Truly immersive, Nerina's art seduces and captures the imagination and enriches our journey like no other.” 

Collector, Ayla Davis, Eltham

"TIME FOR AN ART ESCAPE"

Words by Sandi Miller, photos by Bill Mcauley

AFTER MORE THAN 18 months cloistered in their studios, Nillumbik’s artists are delighted to have been able to open their doors once more. November 20 saw the first of two weekends of artists opening their studios to the public. The program is a wonderful way to meet the painters, potters, sculptors, glass artists, textile artists and printmakers that make up the creative community of Nillumbik. Program coordinator Annette Nobes told the Bulletin there will be 23 studios open across the two weekends, with some studios being home to multiple artists means that there are 28 artists to connect with. She said it was great to be open again. “We only got approval to run this event three weeks ago, and that came from the State Government. “That goes to a lot of assistance from the Council, Council negotiated the approval from the state government for us to open. She said with some of the complexity around COVID restrictions, seven artists have chosen not to open their studios this weekend.

One artist that was bursting to open again was painter Nerina Lascelles, the Bulletin caught up with her on opening morning. She said she was so happy to be back with Open Studios. “It was wonderful being in solitude [during lockdown], and that is kind of for me what it is all about, having that internal time, it has allowed me to really go within, but then on the other side of that when you have given birth to all of these beautiful painting, it is time to go ‘OK these paintings aren’t painted for me they are painted for mankind’. “With Open Studios, it is a wonderful opportunity to show people my space, and the influence of the bush, which is right outside my window here, but also have a chat, to connect. “One of the beautiful things about Nillumbik Artists Open Studios is I always come away invigorated and stimulated, and going thank you. “Thank you for this opportunity, to connect and to have people who offer you something new.” Nerina lives in Warrandyte, but has her studio on a corner of her parent’s bush block in Panton Hill.

We asked her how her lockdown had been. “Thankfully I could come out here and spend more time in my studio, but also more time connecting with this area, Warrandyte, Nillumbik in general, where I could go on bushwalks and find new pocket that I hadn’t yet explored, so I think there is a local influence on this recent body of work, which I think is a bit special.” After spending time overseas, much of her work has had a Japanese influence, but she said she has loved finding these new places in Nillumbik. “When I was younger, I was born and bred in Eltham, on the banks of the Diamond Creek, so we always used to play down there as children, so I really connected with this land, and I remember mum saying that the energy of the Aboriginal ancestors are still in the land here, so you can tune into that, it hasn’t gone anywhere and that was quite magical to me.

“Gambi Baan - Laughing Waters”

“During lockdown, I have been connecting with the land in a kind of different way – there is that aboriginal concept dadirri, listening with all senses, and so that is what I have been doing, sitting with the land and listening and just hearing what it tells me. “But I have also been really interested in finding the influence of the Wurundjeri from when they were walking her. “I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful woman in Warrandyte who is an archaeologist, specialising in Aboriginal artifacts and so she showed me an eel trap near Laughing Waters, so that has really inspired my painting.” She said there is still a very Japanese influence in her work. “But now there is a little bit of an overlap between the Japanese influence and the connection to this area.”

“Guling” - Orchid Season

Her purpose-built studio is a work of art in itself. Nerina’s father is a renowned architect and had just finished creating his own mudbrick home on the property. “We were sitting at a local pizza place, drawing on a serviette, and I said I would love one big circle to paint in, and one smaller circle for washup and storage. “Dad said, ‘I’m ready for a new project’. “So this technique is ferro-cement, while it looks like mudbrick, it is actually a wire cage which has been rendered, it is a circular structure it is really super strong, so the walls are only about two inches thick, it is quite amazing, and find the circular space so creative so nurturing, it is womb like.” To visit the Nerina’s studio or any of the 23 studios in the program, first visit artistsopenstudios.com.

Dadirri - Deep Listening

Upon reflection, inspiration for my work seems to organically cycle between an oriental aesthetic - the arts, poetry and philosophy of Japanese Zen culture, to influences from Australia, the land that I both live and create on. In this time of Covid and multiple lockdowns, I find myself more deeply immersed in the landscape that I have always connected to as my ‘country’.

The abstracted landscapes from my most recent series, ‘Resonance', depict oscillating mountain-scapes partially concealed by waves andmist illustrating the constant sound and motion of the vibrating universe. This series of paintings are inspired by the relatively recent discovery that sound waves actually created the universe.

“Sound is the force of creation, the true whole. Music then, becomes the voice of the great cosmic oneness and therefore the optimal way to reach this final state of healing.” ― Hazrat Inayat Khan

“Creation Song”, Mixed Media on Canvas, 122cm x 152cm, 2021

‘Creation Song' (above) among other works in my most recent series is inspired by the discovery that ancient sound waves actually sculpted the universe and that without primal sound there would be no galaxies, stars, or planets. These new paintings depict the creation of the earth through the vibration of sound and more specifically, to the formation of the land I call home. The hauntingly primal nature of the Australian landscape.

The two paintings below offer an invitation to contemplate a moment in ‘dreamtime’ where the rhythmic movement of the pre-eminent creative ancestral spirit, the ‘Rainbow Serpent’ formed this ancient continent..

Imagine if you will - the looping, primal drone of the didgeridoo as a background soundtrack to the mounding and shaping of the original landscape of this country.

“Rhythm of Becoming”, Mixed Media on Canvas, 152cm x 122cm, 2021

Lockdown

As is the case across the globe with restricted travel and multiple local 'Lockdowns', the new reality we have no alternative than to embrace and reconnect with our local area.  This paradigm also reflects in my artwork. 

The practice of ‘Dadirri’ (the Aboriginal word for deep listening) has recently become popular in response to this current climate of mental illness, stress and depression where individuals are turning to mindfulness and meditation. Similar to Zen, Dadirri is a multi-sensory meditative practice. Dadirri offers us a synchronisation with the rhythm of the land, a deep respect for life and it's cycles and recognition of the 'oneness' in all things. First nation's writer and senior elder, Miriam-Rose describes "Dadirri is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls on us... When I experience Dadirri, I am made whole again..."

For me, the concept of Dadirri relates to the word, 'presence'. Lockdown has offered me the time and space to be truly present to the bushland, hills, rivers and creeks surrounding me, and the paintings that have been created during this period arose through this deep presence.

“Empty Gaze Beyond Silence”, Mixed Media and Liquid Chrome on Canvas, 122cm x 122cm, 2021

Nillumbik (Shallow Earth)

Being raised as a child on a bush block backing onto the Diamond Creek, we spent a great deal of our spare time down by the back exploring, cutting new tracks through the bush, building rafts and cubby houses, finding freshwater mussels and catching the odd eel.

While my brother and sister probably don’t even remember, Mum would tell us that the spirit of the Aboriginal ancestors who walked in this land before us could still be sensed in the bush around us. I loved this thought and her words have always stayed with me. It was fascinating to imagine what life may have been like when the Wurundjeri inhabited this part of Victoria, which before colonisation was the most populated region of Australia. Throughout my life, I have always felt as though the ancestral spirits were very closely interwoven with our physical day to day reality.

In the 70’s however, school history taught very little of the traditional owners of this area - focusing more intently on the pioneering families from Europe who purchased property and settled in the Nillumbik Shire.

While so much of the indigenous history has been lost thankfully elements of the story of the Wurundjeri, who called this area home, is being taught by some of the remaining elders.

Now as an adult, I’m living a short walk from the Yarra River. Lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 enabled me to follow my inspiration to explore the relatively unchartered corners of the Nillumbik Shire, in particular the bush land on banks of the Yarra River from Warrandyte through to Laughing Waters.

‘Gambi Baan - Laughing Waters’, Mixed Media on Canvas, 122cm x 122cm, 2021

Unlike Europe with its great cathedrals, forts and castles telling stories of centuries past, here in Australia we have virtually no man-constructed monuments to relay the history of this ancient land. It’s through the recently classified ‘significant’ objects and sites such as scar trees, birthing trees, shell middens and mounds that we can glean an understanding of Wurundjeri life on the very soil we call home.

 Locally, one significant site is ‘Gambi Baan’ (Laughing Waters, Warrandyte) where Wurundjeri eel (iuk) traps remain intact until this day.

Some native traditions across the world, believe that the energy of events that have occurred on the earth tend to remain, even after the physical experience has ended. believing that the land energetically remembers significant experiences and that these experiences can be sensed long afterwards.

This painting has been inspired through a sitting ‘on country’ and feeling into the land at at the site of the eel traps. 

(Huge thanks to local archeologist Jillian Garvey for showing me this special place)

Nyilum Bik - Shallow Earth, Mixed Media on Canvas, 101cm x 101cm, 2021

This work, also inspired by the beauty of this ancient land right beneath our feet, contains different coloured palette to those used in the previous series.  The contrast between the warm, coppery tones of the burnt sienna and raw umber, beneath the cool turquoise and jade green on the surface echoes the palette of the bushland around my studio.

Rather than a literal landscape from the area, these works are more impressions of my spiritual relationship to this, the land that I have always called home.  While collecting stories from Wurundjeri Elders and historians about the area, I've also spent time sketching and in "Dadirri" meditation 'on country'. Listening to the wind, sensing the songlines and feeling the spirit of this ancient land. 

Recent News

Over the past year I’ve been working on a very exciting new project that has taken me out of my own studio and into a collaboration with the very talented ceramic artist, Linda Detoma. Together we are in the process of completing a body of 30 individual ceramic panels as part of a new development at the Eltham Cemetery.  Construction on the “Grevillea Memorial” has already begun with the creation of a 50 meter stone embankment crafted by local stonemason Leigh Wykes and the erection of a rusted steel balustrade along the length of the stone wall. The ceramic panels that Linda and I are in the process of completing will be positioned along this balustrade above individual burial sites. Linda has carefully handcrafted a set of 15 clay tiles which will then make up each 70cm x 60cm panel.  She is assisting me in translating my designs onto the tiles through a combination of glazes, lusters and 

decals.

Hand made tiles

Imagery on these panels depict a multi-layering of local historic photographs and native floral images, which are indigenous to this area, arranged in a design that embodies cultural significance and interest. It is our intention that the panels emit a calming and peaceful influence allowing the viewer to quietly contemplate the imagery on the panels as well as reflect on his or her own layers of story and memories.  The works also engage the audience in a celebration of this unique and fascinating shire of Nillumbik.  

It’s an absolute honour to have been invited to design these panels as Eltham and its surrounds has been my home for as long as I can recall.  It is fascinating to ponder on what life would have been like over the last 150+ years since the Eltham Cemetery opened.  From fire to flood, from gold mining to wheat harvesting, from the horse and cart to the motor car, and from the Shillinglaw Cottage to Montsalvat, these photographs offers us today a connection with our past. Local historical imagery allow us to contemplate the myriad of both meaningful and colourful tales that our dearly departed forefathers would have perhaps told. I am also incorporating images of local current day subjects into some of the panels and therefore giving this generation a connection to their own stories too. Those living in or familiar with Eltham will have their own memories of Montsalvat, trips out to the Kangaroo Ground Memorial Tower and rides on the infamous ‘Miniature Railway’. I’m also thoroughly enjoying interviewing a number of elders and individuals in the Shire with a fascinating story to tell.  

Local historic photographs for possible use within the panels. Images thanks to the Eltham Historical Society and the Eltham Library

The use of indigenous flowers in the designs for the Grevillea Memorial symbolically reconnects us with our local area. Native wildflowers and foliage also represent the beauty of the natural world around us. The little jewels that seem to miraculously arrive from the invisible and for often a relatively short period of time gift humanity with their physical beauty. To witness the life of a flower – from a small shoot, to then bud, flower and over time the wilting and falling of that flower, allows us to reflect upon our own life span and the life cycles of every physical form on the planet.  Local species reconnects us to our area without any reference to a particular decade or period. A chocolate lily remains a chocolate lily regardless of the invention of electricity, the motor car and bitumen roads which have physically changed the landscape of the area over recent centuries. A gum tree remains a gum tree over the passage of time yet due to its long lifespan can be perceived as a silent witness to the changing environment around us.

A selection of photographs of local flora that I have taken for reference for the project.

The project is expected to be finished in mid 2017, so I’ll keep you updated as to the grand opening!!!

From the Studio...

Motherhood and Creativity

When I had my little one a year and a half ago, I somewhat naively imagined that I would be able to simply strap him to my front and keep on painting. This huge shift from how life was, to a completely new reality is of course nothing new for all mums out there, but no matter how many times I was told, I still thought, 'how hard can it be??' While I was able to take Miró to the studio and paint while he slept, I was only getting 20 minutes of painting done at a time. Not so handy when a huge '20 painting' exhibition is looming on the calendar! Thankfully my beautiful mum and dad were able to help and as my studio is on the same land as their home, I was able to then get two hour painting sessions completed between feeds. For this I will be ever grateful. 

Early days with baby Miró in the Studio

While Miró is my most precious of creation to date, painting to me is like food for the soul and a necessary life activity for survival. The blessing of a small person finely tunes the awareness of the important balance between creativity and other daily activities. 

Now that Miró is walking and beginning to explore he loves to join me in the studio to create his own artwork or explore the surrounding bush land. I'm glad that this little one is being exposed to the necessary element of creativity in all of our lives.

Nillumbik Artists Open Studios November 2016

Nillumbik Artists Open Studios Artists Exhibit

"Join us at the Eltham Library Community Gallery as the Nillumbik Artists Open Studios Artists exhibit a taster collection of artworks. Exhibition runs from Thursday October 27th  to Monday 21st November. Check library website for opening hours here

… "It seems to come around so quickly.  The November season of Open Studios has just been kicked off with the opening of the group exhibition..

NILLUMBIK ARTISTS OPEN STUDIOS

19th & 20th | 26 & 27th November 2016

"One of the beauties of this collective program is the diversity of practices and personalities that are all tied together by a common thread, the love of the landscape. Painters, illustrators, ceramicists and print-makers alike culminate to make a rich tapestry of multi-disciplinary artworks that can be discovered at your own pace, studio by studio."

This brand new year of Open Studio's introduces nine new artists to the program as well as the launch of a new

website

for Nillumbik Artists Open Studios that  encourages visitors to explore and map their very own artistic trail. "We are taking you on a journey to pockets of the beautiful Nillumbik Shire that have yet been traversed by this program such as Plenty and Nutfield, so pick up a coffee and engage in an adventure!"

This season, my studio is listed as 

Studio Number 10

.

220 Long Gully Road (cnr Bakehouse Road, Panton Hill.  Love to see you there!!!

From an article in the Herald Sun, here is a photo of me in my studio.  An excerpt of the article as follows...

"ARTIST Nerina Lascelles doesn't have to look far from her purpose built mud brick studio for inspiration.

While her art has a distinctly Japanese feel, she enjoys painting uniquely Australian flora, the kind that surrounds her Panton Hill studio.  Lascelles studied drawing and painting at art school, but when she went looking for something more she was drawn to the Asian ethos of less.

"I started looking at different cultures and travelled through several Asian countries," she said.

"I went to Tibet and made mandalas with the Buddhist monks, which was an incredible experience, but when I got to Japan I thought 'I have found it'. There is a simplicity that comes with the Japanese style."

For the past 10 years Lascelles has been influenced by the sacred arts of a number of Asian countries. She has labelled her Japanese inspired work Japonism - "the influence of the arts of Japan on artists in the west"." .......

(read more)

Art Demonstration

I recently had the delightful experience of hosting a demonstration evening at a local 'Arts Society'.

Painting in one's own studio is generally  a solitary experience and it sees that over many years artist's tend to develop their preferred mode of expression.  For me, the combination of collage, printing, painting and application of 'encaustic wax' has now become a part of my 'art-making regime' so to speak.

I was introduced to encaustic wax over 25 years ago at art school. During the same period I was also using all sorts of different collage mediums to incorporate into my paintings. I recall screwing up paper tightly then applying paint to the creased paper.... and finally ironing each sheet. This gave me some interesting textures. Back in the art school days I completed a post graduate thesis on the 'Spiritual in Art'  with a particular focus on 'Synesthesia'. (the overlapping of the senses)

In this body of work I endeavored paint music from different tribes and cultures of the globe. Interestingly, with these early works I combined paper collage, paint, drawing and encaustic wax in a similar way that I do today.  Not only was I using paper collage, but I made papier mache frames for each painting as another representation of our link to the natural world and the planet.

(photos courtesy of DVArts Society)

During the presentation I initially explained about my influences and inspiration though the decades that I've been making art.  Since completing University, my work has been inspired by native cultures of the earth that may be able to offer us in the West a glimpse of how to live with more 'connection' to each other and the planet.  Early influences took me to parts of Africa, South America and Asia. I was also researching the art and culture of The Native American Indians, Australian Aboriginals, Tibetan monks and other Shamanic cultures across the globe.  As the years passed, my focus began to hone in on Asia and more recently the ancient arts, culture and philosophy of Japan.

More recently again, and my paintings appear to combine both the Japanese influence as well as including subject from the natural world more locally to where I live.

I showed the audience an array of materials that I would typically use within a painting - from gold and silver leaf to metallic foils and wallpapers and from Japanese Kimono and Obi to Washi Paper.

(photos courtesy of DVArts Society)

A more recently acquired technique is that of applying screen prints to my work. During the demonstration I printed a number of areas of a canvas I was working on to show the viewers this mode of getting an almost instant application of pattern and motif. 

I also demonstrated the application of gold leaf to a canvas.

(photos courtesy of DVArts Society)

"It was a successful and entertaining evening at the DVAS Rooms.

About 25 people watched Nerina with a bubbly personality demonstrate her artistic skills.

Nerina who uses encaustic wax and gold leafing in her work certainly has some very good

techniques and everybody would have gained something useful from the evening. Her

artwork is very different from the run of the mill and extremely decorative.

Thanks Nerina for coming and also thanks to all the people who came along and showed

support for our DVAS Demonstration Evenings: It was a really good turn-out...."

(excerpt from the newsletter)

This really was a fabulous experience to share my work - thank you all at DVAS for the invitation :)